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Disrupt Disability Arts Festival 2026 debuts hotly anticipated Premieres and Award-Winning work by Ireland-based & International artists Running from 5th–7th March at Dublin’s Project Arts Centre and online, Disrupt Disability Arts Festival places ground-breaking art and performances from within Ireland’s disability community front and centre, in conversation with international works. Tickets on sale…
Disrupt Disability Arts Festival 2026 debuts hotly anticipated
Premieres and Award-Winning work by Ireland-based & International artists
Running from 5th–7th March at Dublin’s Project Arts Centre and online, Disrupt Disability Arts Festival places ground-breaking art and performances from within Ireland’s disability community front and centre, in conversation with international works. Tickets on sale now
05, February 2026: Disrupt Disability Arts Festival, one of Ireland’s most progressive arts festivals, has announced its formidable 2026 line-up featuring theatre, dance, the visual arts and much more. Delivered both in person and online through accessible formats in relaxed spaces, Disrupt underpins creativity while actively reshaping perceptions of disability.
This is Disrupt’s biggest and boldest iteration to date, showcasing over 37 festival artists and participants. Now entering its third year, the calibre of performances is higher than ever, some of the must-see acts in this year’s programme include:
· Premiere of ‘Uncouth’ a neurosparkly play by Moss Russell exploring the unspoken rules that shape social situations. This is a theatre performance like no other: using circus, the audience is taken on an absurd journey examining how politeness can feel like you’re playing an impossible game with no instructions. *Spoiler alert* the real rudeness was ableism all along.
· ‘Let Go’, a new coming-of-age film by Louise Bruton. When ex-best friends Orla and Meghan run into each other as adults, revisiting their past reminds the audience that while being disabled is hard, being a teenager is harder. ‘Let Go’ marks the directorial debut of renowned arts journalist, writer, DJ and disability rights activist Louise Bruton – is there anything she can’t do?
· ‘Unveiled’ by Max Whelan, emerging talent in the theatre world. This searing debut depicts Max’s lived experience as a non-speaker communicating through spelling. Brimming with heart and humour, the performance is also unapologetically political, challenges assumptions and demands new approaches to communication and education. Not. To. Be. Missed.
· Irish Premiere of ‘Mark of A Woman’ by international dance artist Chisato Minamimura utilises innovative mediums, from haptic belts to kinetic projection. Chisato’s layered and deeply expressive one-person show explores the effects of colonialism through celebrating women’s under-told connections to tattooing cultures.
· ISL Disco with Sarah-Jane O’Regan. Back by popular demand, Disrupt’s Irish Sign Language closing party featuring incredible sign-along performances. Known for interpreting for the likes of Oasis, Taylor Swift and Electric Picnic, Sarah-Jane brings everyone’s favourite hits to life through ISL and very good vibes.
In addition to the incredible full line-up of visual arts, acts and performances, Disrupt Disability Arts Festival 2026 hosts a suite of online interactive sessions and in-person workshops (ticketed and free options available) throughout the weekend, including:
· Strengthening Inclusion for Artists with Intellectual Disability: Online discussion on the right to fair and equal working conditions for artists with intellectual disabilities, notable guest speakers TBA.
· Disrupt Embedded Access Training Programme: Disrupt is running an extended programme of workshops to upskill access personnel, artists and arts workers in creative embedded access skillsets including Creative Captioning and Visual Vernacular, A suite of workshops in partnership with Rethink Ireland, Fire Station Artists’ Studios and Dance Ireland.
· Fócloir Faoi Mhíchumas/ Disability Dictionary: Discover disability through the Irish language in this collaborative session that introduces existing foclóir/ Irish words related to disability, while co-creating new terminology.
· Learn some basics of ISL: A relaxed introduction to Irish Sign Language, open to all.
“I am over the moon with excitement for this year’s Disrupt Festival featuring over 35 incredibly talented Ireland-based and international artists. The 2026 festival presents original, contemporary works shaped by the artists’ lived experiences of disability, integrating new technologies and Embedded Access – showcasing new and dynamic approaches to art-making that holds boundless creative potential.
Our team is immensely proud of the milestones Disrupt is reaching this year. Just four years ago, we first proposed the Disrupt Disability Arts Festival to Project Arts Centre; today, we are expanding our venue partnerships and programming to include a suite of training opportunities, united by a shared commitment to reimagining what accessible art can be and who it is for.”
– AlanJames Burns, Artistic Director, Disrupt Disability Arts Festival
Ticket Information
In-person event tickets at Project Arts Centre are priced at just €17 with discounted tickets at €10. Many event tickets include a free companion option. Online streaming tickets are €5 and include live access and on-demand viewing for one month after the event. The competitive ticket pricing, in addition to numerous free exhibitions and drop-in workshops, is reflective of the festival’s accessibility policy.
In keeping with the festival’s ethos, the talks and performances at the festival include Irish Sign Language, captions, and audio description. Additionally, a number of Touch Tours take place prior to performances, allowing visually impaired audience members to interact with the stage and props. This ethos creates the opportunity for as many people as possible to celebrate Disrupt’s incredible artists.
For detailed information on ticket types and each event’s accessibility measures, visitors are encouraged to go to www.disruptfestival.ie
To see the full programme with performance timings and additional information please visit www.disruptfestival.ie or follow @disruptarts on Instagram.
Disrupt Disability Arts Festival is funded by The Arts Council of Ireland’s Festival Investment Scheme and supported by Project Arts Centre, RTÉ Supporting the Arts and Europe Beyond Access. Disrupt Disability Arts Festival’s Embedded Access Training Programme is funded by Rethink Ireland’s Disability Participation and Awareness Fund 3.0 and supported by Safe To Create, Fire Station Artists’ Studios and Dance Ireland.
